As we were on the most western part of the island in Lahaina, we woke up early to leave at 2 am to drive to a more central part of the island and were prepared for the cold weather at the mountain top. Early in the morning though, we again saw the amazing starry night sky:
A Team of Musubi Five headed eastward with multiple GPS guides to make sure we didn’t lose our way and as cell service has been inconsistent on the remote roads:
We weaved our way up switchback or hairpin turns and slowly made our way up the mountain. There were two parking areas and the upper area had less parking, but because we arrived so early, we scored a spot right by the pathway to the summit viewing. Here you can see the other cars making their way up or back down because the top lot pictured below was full:
We then checked out the summit area in pitch black darkness, using our cellphone flashlights. I was surprised by the level of enthusiasm and energy of the group which was wonderful and shined through our masks that were helping to keep us warm:
I anchored us a spot on the ledge as some napped in the warmth of the car. I was really amped and feeding off the energy of the sunrise team. I enjoyed just watching the horizon as the sun started peaking through - a series below:
And a few fun photos of the team either through selfies, candids, or posing:
Sunrise was 6:02 am, but Ranger Dave described the national park a few minutes before and pointed out we could see the volcanoes on Big Island just east of us:
He also explained that he would sing a Hawaiian Sunrise chant called E Ala Ē. He actually had a lovely voice and translated it for us:
E Ala E (Awaken/Arise)
E ala e (Awaken/Arise)
Ka lā i ka hikina (The sun in the east)
I ka moana, ka moana hohonu (The ocean deep)
Piʻi ka lewa, ka lewa nuʻu (Climbing to the heaven)
I ka hikina (In the east)
Aia ka lā (There is the sun)
E ala e (Awaken/Arise)
The enthusiasm of the team was amazing as we learned about Haleakala and the fact the roads were repaired during the pandemic. We decided the road should receive 5-stars. Here’s a sign of the elevation as we were above the clouds:
After the sun had risen, we headed to the visitor center to go to the bathroom and we were lucky to see several Nenes! Also known as the Hawaiian goose, it is an endangered bird that is hopefully making a comeback and is the official state bird. They were very cute as they waddled around:
We made our way down the mountain, dropping below the clouds and returning to Lahaina. We ate breakfast at Kihei Caffe’s new Lahaina location. Here we opened a “breakfast tab” and chowed down on eggs benedict, Hawaiian pancakes, loco moco, fried rice, waffles, papaya fruit, and POG (passion fruit, orange, guava) juice. I’m not smiling because I was in mid-chew…
We returned happily with leftovers and the blankets and towels we borrowed to provide extra warmth and we celebrated our return with a group selfie or wefie in front of the hotel sign:
After much needed naps, we went to the pool and relaxed. We struggled to get restaurant reservations at popular places, because according to the concierge, Maui hotels are at 98% occupancy due to the surge of travel from the pandemic recovery and struggle to accommodate large groups last minute. We ended up at Waicoco at the Westin Resort down the street where we shared many dishes and tried to make sure the food didn’t blow away as it was super breezy. The last day and night with Team Musubi was memorable with a phenomenal sunrise at Haleakala and sunset beach dinner followed by shopping in the Whaler’s Village shopping center:
A photo of the Mercedes half of Team Musubi while waiting for the Westin valet:
Indeed I was soaking in the last day with everyone as we were up from 2 am to 11 pm!
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